Tuesday, May 10, 2011

My close friend and fellow travel writer and photographer Arun Bhat is organizing a photography tour to Kanha National Park from the 4th to the 8th of June. This tour is organized by Darter Photography Tours. This will be a great trip for folks who are interested in wildlife, bird and nature photography and wish to spot the elusive royal bengal tiger. I will be going on this trip. Let me know if you wish to join. I might be able to get you a good deal!!

Details are given below. All photographs are copyright of Darter Photography Tours.

Dates – June 04 to 08, 2011 The vast sal forests of Kanha National Park are home to a great variety of wildlife – big and small. From big cats like the Tiger and the Leopard to hunting packs of Dholes (or Wild Dogs) to the very-localized Barasinghas to the vast congregations of Gaurs, these forests can throw surprises at every corner.

Kanha’s open secret lies in the vast grasslands within the park. These beautiful meadows become a widescreen theatre, showcasing Deer locking horns in a fight to supremacy, Peafowls dancing to attract mates, Barasighas grazing in small herds and, if we are lucky enough, a Tiger hunting its meal.

In the evenings, the waterholes in the grasslands where some water has still remained in the summer months attract a large assembly of animals walking in for a drink, where we can easily spot more than hundred mammals in single location. Get ready to travel with Darter Photography to this theatre of nature where each day brings you new sightings, activities and excitement.

Birdlife in the park is not to be forgotten too. Crested Serpent Eagles and Crested Hawk-Eagles can be seen hunting for prey. We will keep an eye for incredibly colourful Indian Pittas that are common in the park, but come out only in the evening hours. Racket-tailed Drongos with their long beautiful tails and Indian Rollers flying around colourfully offer many photographic opportunities. Spotting the golden eyes of the otherwise camouflaged Spotted and Jungle Owlets adds to the thrill.

The tour includes • Seven safaris in the park • Sessions on photographing wildlife – technicals, aesthetics and ways to approach the subjects • Expert assistance on field in getting best images • Daily image reviews and feedback at the end of every day’s shoot • On field assistance in identifying birds and in understanding wildlife in the park.

All through the tour, constant guidance from Darter Photography Expert will help you get the best out of your trip to the wilderness. Please note that while chances of sighting mammals and birds are fairly high, we cannot give you any assurance. Please refer to the Detailed Itinerary at the end of this post for more details.

Is this tour for you? His Majesty’s Court is ideal for you if you have an interest in watching and photographing wildlife – from mighty tigers to herds of barasinghas to beautiful birds. Our photography expert will get you prepared for photographing wildlife and will assist you in every step of making good photographs.

Accommodation We will be staying in air-conditioned rooms, on twin-sharing basis, at Kanha Village Eco-Resort.

Tour Cost The tour cost is Rs.19,500/- per person.

The cost includes • Transport from Nagpur to Kanha and back in air-conditioned vehicle • Accommodation at Kanha Village Eco-Resort • All meals during the stay (starting with dinner on check-in date and ending with breakfast on check-out date) • Jeep Safaris • Session on wildlife photography, on-field assistance and image reviews

The cost does not include • Transport to Nagpur from your hometown and back • Additional food and beverages ordered at the resort • Tips and anything else that is not part of the includes list above

Book this tour Contact us to book the tour. Email: register@darter.inPh: 9880006460 (Arun) / 97400 83260 (Shreeram)

Do visit Darter’s facebook page to stay updated on our tours and workshops. Like all our tours, ‘His Majesty’s Court’ will have a limited number of participants. Decide early to make sure you get a good deal on the airfares too.

Accompanying Darter Photography Expert: Shreeram M V Shreeram is a passionate naturalist and a professional wildlife photographer with an experience of working as a naturalist with Jungle Lodges. His wildlife images are widely acclaimed have found place in glossy desktop calendars and wall hangings. He has the experience of photographing wildlife across multiple habitats across India – from the rainforests to the high-altitude deserts to grasslands to coasts. He comes with vast expertise in wildlife photography, having photographed hundreds of species of birds and mammals from places as far as mountains of Ladakh to seashores of South India. See some of his works at http://www.visualquotient.net/

What our guests say “Thanks for the patience of Arun and Shreeram has, they were able to extract quality pictures from us.” – Darshan (Bangalore) “I guess this was the best learning I ever had.” – Madhu Chandan (Bangalore)

Detailed Itinerary Day 1 – June 04 We will arrive at Nagpur, where the cabs will be waiting to take us to Kanha. We reach the resort in the evening. Your lead photographer will brief you on what to expect during the days in the park. We will retire after dinner, ready to wake up early for the next morning’s jeep safari.

Day 2 – June 05 Our exploration of the forest begins today, as we get ready to head to the park as early as 6am. Tiger sightings happen regularly and almost everyday in Kanha – so expect those beautiful moments to be yours anytime, any day. The drivers are well experienced to track tigers and maximize our chances of sightings. But tigers are not the only wildlife we will be after. We will drive slowly, looking at every animal and every bird, trying to capture them all in different mood and light. We return to the resort at 11am. Later, after lunch, the lead photographer will take you through a session on wildlife photography, on the best ways to shoot, the compositions, approaching the subjects and everything you need to know about making best wildlife images. We will head out again for the evening safari at 4pm. The sunset happens much after six in summer in these parts, so we will have enough light to shoot till 6.30pm. Every evening, we will sit together in a casual session with the lead photographer, exchange notes on our sightings, seeing images we have shot and get feedbacks from the lead photographer. The lead photographer will give you his inputs on the images and helps you to capture better images as the days progress.

Days 3 & 4 – June 06 and 07 In the subsequent days, we will head to the jungles in the mornings and evening every day, capturing wildlife in different moods, moments and activities. The lead photographer will be with you assisting in identification and sightings of wildlife, giving some insights to their behavior and helping you make interesting compositions. After a few safaris, you will see that your memory card is filled with some images and moments that you will cherish for a long time to come. Hopefully, we will have some good sightings of tigers and plenty of other mammals and birds. Evenings are dedicated to casual get together with the group, discussing images and opportunities from the day as the lead photographer give you his feedback and suggestions on the day’s images.

Day 5 – June 08 We will head out for the morning safari as usual and perhaps come back a little earlier to get ready for the journey back to Nagpur. By now, you will have spent some beautiful moments with wildlife at their home, be it watching langurs play with their babies, tigers walking majestically across your jeep, wild dogs in their small groups, peafowls dancing, or whistling teals swimming in the calm waters. A lot of them will be permanently captured in your cameras as you take the cab back to Nagpur on your way home.

Welcome to BE ON THE ROAD Travel Blog! I am Sankara, its founder, a 30 something male from Bangalore who is living his dream of exploring the world and simultaneously trying to inspire others to live their dream.
Wanna live your dream? Find Some inspiration here!

Join the Travel Club for FREE!!
and every
fortnight
get in your inbox...interesting experiential and off-beat
travel stories
, destination guides, handy
tips
(travel, photography and visa) based on personal experience, global
vegetarian
delights with helpful survival guides and gorgeous world
travel images and videos
as I (the Indian traveler) trot the globe! And a lot of other travel
invites
and soon to be launched
goodies
!